The present invention relates to a method, a system and an apparatus for Delivering Multi-Layer Media Data over Networks and a commercial system for facilitating distribution, access usage and trade of layered media items on the Internet. More particularly, but not exclusively to delivering multi-channel audio and video data over networks to remote terminals in order to facilitate the user with the ability to edit each channel separately, creating a new remix based thereupon.
As other industries in the last decade, so with the media production industry, computerization is becoming more and more important as the basis of technological advances. The computerization in the media industry led to the development of digital mixing tools and more sophisticated and more voluminous equipment that has the ability to handle a number of audio inputs, and to provide more flexibility in output. Computerization is also seen as a requirement for cost-effective competition. Manual instruments, systems, and techniques are, by comparison, increasingly more expensive to use.
Traditionally, the basic instrument of audio production has been the production mixing console, a workstation presenting an interface to a sound engineer through whom he or she may condition multiple channels of audio input, and mix the conditioned results into mono or stereo outputs for direct broadcast or for recording. A production mixing console typically presents arrays of input devices, such as switches, knobs, and faders, for an operator to set to condition and route audio signals.
In the 1980's computerization began to appear in professional recording studios. The first efforts were patchwork devices for automating manual console functions, and even today many automated consoles are analog audio consoles with digital equipment adapted to existing devices.
During the 1990's, the computer industry continuously introduced multi-media computers and mixing software, which started to replace the existing, manual, consoles, many of which have audio signal input/output capability together with animated image display capability. Such a multi-media computer generally employs a multi-window display system to display different information simultaneously and independently on different windows resulting from splitting a display screen, and plural icons are usually displayed so that an operator can activate any one of them using a mouse.
An example for such a multi-media computer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,719, issued on Oct. 19, 1999, in which the disclosed computer is capable of displaying information in multiple windows and handling multiple audio signals in a manner convenient for a user.
Today, the switch to computer based applications has reduced the cost of audio mixers, enabling music hobbyists to install mixing software and hardware on their computers, allowing them to edit their own music files, mixing numbers of audio streams into one digital output and outputting their own creations at relatively low cost. In addition, this new development allows users to mix the original music tracks and video pieces of various other artists and creators with their own music pieces. Various software enable users to edit and remix various music tracks in different file formats (example for commonly used formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, M4A and OGG and to edit video (example for commonly used formats: AVI, WMV, MPEG, MOV, RAM and SWF).
The above-described progress has occurred in parallel with other important technological developments that had and still have a major influence on the music industry. In the last decade, as data compression and communication techniques advance the use of network communication for listening to music or for watching video streams and for downloading music and movies is increasing.
Various techniques for remotely selling compressed media files in digital formats are known. An example for such delivering music performance information via a communication network is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,949,704, issued on Sep. 27, 2005. In this disclosed system a plurality of clients are individually connected to a server via a communication network. The server automatically selects suitable music piece from a designated database, and delivers the thus-selected music piece to each of the clients currently connected to the server apparatus. Each client can request a desired music piece from the server apparatus.
Since, the current state of the art enables personal computer users to mix and edit audio data, hobbyist and professionals now can purchase and download music pieces via communication network using a system for delivering music piece and remix or edit the downloaded music piece or combine it with their own creations using up-to-date mixing software on their personal computer.
There are, however, problems with those copies of downloaded music pieces files. The music pieces files are usually originated from digital format files or streams. The available digital format files usually represent only one (Mono) or two (Stereo) channels of music that embodies the final mixing of the music piece.
The user cannot separately edit or access each channel that incorporates the mixed music piece. That is to say, the user can only edit or remix the music piece as a whole and cannot manipulate different audio channels that the music piece is comprised from. For example, though the guitar and the vocals are typically recorded on separate channels, the user is deprived of the ability to edit each of those channels separately since he has a single track mix that stores only the final digitally mixed output of the channels.
Another problem is that the files embody only the digitally mixed output of the audio channels. The user cannot isolate, omit, replace or duplicate any specific channel, and therefore the user is prevented from performing most of the professional editing and mixing functions.
Though the accessibility to different media files grew substantially in the last few years, hobbyists and the professionals still do not have the benefit of accessing directly chosen channels of given media items and therefore are deprived of the ability to carry out most editing and remixing functions that they would enjoy if they had direct access to the “building blocks” of the mixes.
Moreover, existing distributing systems for vending of audio and video files over telecommunication networks trade and distribute final mixed versions of the audio or video files. Moreover, existing systems are not configured to allow licensing, clearance, clearing and commerce services such as royalties' collection and copyright management of layered media items over communication networks. The basic assumption of the existing solutions is that the end user does not want to change or remix each layer of the video and audio piece separately. Accordingly, the concept of the commercialization of raw media in a form that can be remixed is not currently implemented.
Hence, there is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a system and a method devoid of the above limitations.